Hits and Misses: Yes, to a crackdown on bike thefts

EXCHANGE APPROVAL Millions of Californians are a step closer to affordable health insurance with last week's approval by the federal government of the state's plan to run its own health insurance market. It's all part of the state's push to meet requirements of the national health care reform law, called Obamacare by critics. We call it vital legislation for the roughly 7.1 million Californians -- about 18 percent of the state's population -- without health insurance. The California Health Benefit Exchange, which will be known as Covered California, hopes to have the exchange up and running in time for open enrollment on Oct. 1. Health coverage would take effect Jan. 1, 2014. Nice work, California.

STOLEN BIKES Hear, hear, for the online effort to clamp down on local bike thefts. Cyclist Steve Schlicht's www.santacruzbikebase.com targets Goodwill Industries of Santa Cruz County, which runs the Santa Cruz Flea Market, in part because Schlicht feels market bike sales fuel a black market for stolen bikes. At least on Craigslist, authorities can track a seller's computer and catch people who try to sell stolen items. Goodwill leaders say they have protections in place, and do the best they can. We understand, but would like to see more scrutiny of bike vendors. Santa Cruz police continue to note the rising number of bike thefts, which are often stolen and fenced for drug money. Tracking a bike's serial number makes it easier to reunite it with an owner if authorities recover it. Get licenses at the Santa Cruz Finance Department or city fire stations. The county lacks a bike registration program, however. Schlicht's website also fills that gap with a free bike registration service.

MISSES

HOLY HORN! OK, so we've heard it, and we've also heard the complaints, but alas, what to do? Not much in our estimation. The inaugural season of holiday-themed train rides up the North Coast is over, but the debate over the sound of the train's horn/whistle remains. Some Westside residents were rattled by frequent blasts from train whistles. We agree the blasts are loud and more frequent than they used to be, as for years track use has been infrequent. But per federal regulations, the horn is sounded at every street crossing for safety reasons, and the feds require whistles be sounded between 96 and 110 decibels. Unless the city or Regional Transportation Commission is willing to take on the liability of a quiet zone -- and why would they? -- we're OK with the newly formed Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay Railway "Train to Christmastown" rolling along. Enough already. It's loud. It's a train.

PAINFUL PARK REPORT A report released last week lays bare the scandal that surfaced earlier this year surrounding the decision by California's top parks officials to conceal millions of dollars in public funds even as they were asking the public to donate money to keep parks open. The report found the $20 million account had its roots in accounting errors made in the mid-1990s. State Parks officials then covered up the mistakes for at least 15 years because they worried they would be publicly embarrassed if word of the hidden funds got out -- and the money taken away from their department to balance the wider state budget. In a budget as large as California's, we don't find the existence of such a fund all that surprising, but the behavior of State Parks staffers certainly was. The fact the mistake went unaddressed for so long is one more blow to public trust in government.